Giants DT Rogers out for season with blood clot

Giants DT Shaun Rogers will miss the 2012 season because of a blood clot in his left calf, head coach Tom Coughlin told reporters Tuesday.

The team announced that Rogers experienced swelling in his lower leg in the preseason opener and missed the last two practices.

The 12-year veteran played in every game last season for the Saints with four starts and had 22 tackles. He has 504 career tackles and 37½ sacks.

“It’s just a shame,” Coughlin said, according to PFW correspondent Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. “Obviously it’s your health first, there isn’t any question about that. The only way I guess they can control these things is with these blood-thinning drugs and once you do that you’re done. You can’t take a chance on some kind of bleeding that is undetected. It’s just a sad thing.”

In a release from the Giants on Tuesday morning, the team confirmed that DT Marvin Austin is seeing doctors in New York for a back problem. Coughlin said he is “praying the phone call comes in and it’s good news” regarding Austin.

Austin missed his entire rookie season last year with a pectoral injury.